


Scales & Arpeggios

by jorjalelo



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Child Prodigy, Ensemble - Freeform, Fanfare, Fluff, Helping Each Other, Inside jokes, Insomnia, M/M, Mental Instability, Mild Angst, Music, Music Theory, Musical Instruments, Orchestra, Romance, Slow-ish burn, Squad Levi - Freeform, Strings - Freeform, Trust, attack on titan - Freeform, awkward first kiss, building confidence, chamber strings, competitons, eruri - Freeform, high school orchestra, low motivation, sleepover, strength in numbers, violin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jorjalelo/pseuds/jorjalelo
Summary: A noticeable change has been made to the Muri Cavi orchestral ensemble as a new prodigy enters the stage but problems begin to arise. Especially when the supposed child prodigy has no chance of putting an effort into the group. The large nationwide competition, Fanfare is around the corner. ill the music director Erwin Smith be able to coax him back into gear and allow for Muri Cavi to score platinum at fanfare or will the mystery kid prodigy lead them to participation.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Erwin Smith, Levi/Erwin Smith
Kudos: 6





	1. ONE

A beautiful hum of twenty-something students all playing their instruments in harmony, bounced off the wall. Malcolm the director, gave many pointers and would lie about just one last time until all students were left glancing at the clock at every opportunity they had. Three o’clock to four-thirty. Even though the concert director wishes it to be, three o’clock to six in the evening, he doesn’t want his kids to leave. But as much as he doesn’t want to, they must leave eventually, and with his final words towards their performance.

Stands began to clang as they were put away were heard amongst the ruffling of sheet music. Students were putting away their instruments carefully. The cupboards covered in whiteboard marker, notes about pieces to be photocopied and the students' names that needed them were being rubbed off and new notes were added. Soon, the lights were being turned off and the fans started to slow. Students rushing to leave the music room, some however stayed behind in need of help with music or extra rehearsal towards a specific piece.

“Erwin, come here for a moment,” Malcolm called out from behind the piano.

“Yes?” Erwin questioned half curious and half scared.

“Since you are the Music Director I want you to be the person that helps to coach the prodigy that's transferring here from Clandestino,” he said. “I’d like for you to show him around and help him adjust to the ensemble and let him know of the rehearsal schedule.”

Erwin just nods with a small smile. He loved the idea of being able to help someone and having a prodigy means that his school has an even better chance of scoring well in competitions. He walked back over to his violin case double-checking that it was zipped and secure before leaving the now hot music room.

Walking out to the deserted school car park, hours after school had ended was always a strange sensation. Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon was like this, getting out late from Malcolm's stubbornness towards his students leaving. He loved music pretty much more than anything. It was his ticket to the real world, a scholarship, the chance to compose and play scores for films. But right now that was just a fantasy. So he had to deal with the fact that he’s a year 11 in secondary school with a lousy job at a bar, but for now, he was content.

The engine of his car began to rumble as the lazy afternoon sun glared over at him. He turned up the music drowning out the ideas and the stresses of exams slowly creeping up around the corner. But for now, at least he didn’t have to care about that. The only thing giving him any kind of worry was what kind of person the kid he has to coach into ensemble life would be like.

Clandestino he wondered. He knew it was a school without the best funding or students. Would the kid fit into that stereotype? A lot of things crossed Erwin’s mind on his journey home. 

He heard a creak and looking over in its direction and saw his dad with a basket of laundry. “Erwin take the dog for a walk will you, he’s been all cooped up in here.”

“Mhm,”

He loved taking Beane for a walk it always helps him to clear his mind and honestly Beane is too cute for him to pass up. As much as he loved taking Beane out for walks he didn’t love having to find his headphones, music was the key to his life, it was his life and walking without it was his hell. Finally, music was to his ears, after an eternity of finding them and untangling them.

A lazy evening was always Erwin’s favourite. Hardly any cars driving by, a gorgeous red sky shifting with purple hues. An adorable black fluffy puppy dog running along at his side. Lazy evening runs with Beane helps clear his minds, he hadn’t even thought of the kid he’s taking under his wing. He doesn’t even know when he’s going to show up, is he coming Friday or Monday or even Tuesday with the first rehearsal, he’s confused and excited. He hasn’t even told his friends, not that he would, they’re not music students to say but none the less he still loved them as if they were his family.  
Turning back around after doing his third lap of the neighbourhood both him and Beane were knackered and began a calm warm down back to their house. After entering tired and sweaty, his father smiled and told him dinner was ready, the thought of the mystery kid far from his mind. 


	2. TWO

Some with rush and excitement and others with distaste and boredom, students piled into the music room. Shoes meeting the grey carpet. There was a minimal happy chatter amongst the students as the began to set up information. Cellos grabbing their chairs, violas giggling with seconds as their stands were being a place and the firsts laughter echoed the room as they put out the conductor’s chair and set up their stands. Hardcover music folders were being placed on stands, desk partners’ folders sliding behind the others.

Although rehearsal seems to be acting as per usual it can’t leave Erwin’s mind that this afternoon would be the time that he meets the guy under his wing. He was a little scared, a prodigy what if he shows up the music director. But as far as he was aware he hadn’t shown up maybe he wasn’t coming. Tuning was almost over, it was just the cellos now, each one by one tuning themselves to perfection with help from Malcolm where needed. Erwin doubted the mystery kids arrival until a disinterested grunt was heard from the door. There in the doorframe was a short but cold looking boy holding what looked like an expensive violin in one hand and a white display folder in the other.

“Ah, Levi I wondered when you’d show up,” Malcolm joked as he walked across the room with handfuls of scores and spare sheet music. “Got lost on the way here?” Malcolm once again joked. He only received a grunt in returned but Malcolm still held a giggle about himself. “Kids, this is Levi Ackermann and will be joining our ensemble in first, I trust you will be able to make him feel welcome,” He said seriously with a hand on Levi’s shoulder.

He left his shoulder and went back to the front desk and began to shuffle through his music. Levi was a strange character in Erwin’s mind. A mix of cold and tough. His black hair sleeked into his middle-part. Eye bags and a stern look on his face seemed to be his personality, there was nothing else that Erwin could make out of that bold facial structure. Erwin soon realised as Levi went to get a stand from the back that he was the only one still looking at him, making Levi give him a look that brought Erwin back to reality. It dawned on him that was his new desk partner, probably.

“Erwin as the director can you give Levi the pieces we're doing right now and go see on my desk if there isn’t one of the pieces in the folder,” he nodded at Malcolm’s direction and began to search for the pieces. Luckily there were all in the folder, so he walked over to the stand that Levi had set up in the back of the first violin section.

“Here are the pieces,” trying not to be awkward he gave a smile as he handed them over.

“Daisy rain, crimson bow and red swan,” Levi muttered the names of the pieces as he glanced over them. Erwin turned away but Levi “Have you got a pencil I could use? I forgot mine.” Erwin nodded and handed him the spare pencil from his stand. He received just a nod, no thank you but based on his introduction Erwin took it as a good thing.

Once Erwin was back at his stand, Levi confirmed that he was tuned and Malcolm began to go through the pieces. He decided with just a small play through the pieces to allow Levi to adjust.

“We’re going to start with Daisy rain, from bar 10,” Malcolm said. Levi took a minute to find the bar and looked it over. It didn’t seem difficult at first but as he started he realised that the piece wasn’t as easy as it looked, it focused down on what he struggled with, intonation he always found himself falling flat or sharp. For the other pieces, he ran through them as smoothly as you could when you first look at them.

“Okay we're going to go from bar 15, again, remember its a C natural,” Malcolm reminds the group about the correct notes, Levi knew it was him, him that caused Malcolm to talk about the intonation “This piece is all about intonation, and the phrasing to create a truly beautiful sound,” he reminded everyone once more. He raised his arms and the orchestra began playing.

The rest of the hour and a half long ensemble went by. Malcolm focusing with the seconds now and then, then the cellos, each section of the ensemble getting their one on one time with Malcolm correction to help aid their performance. But soon enough the Tuesday clock struck four-thirty students were packing up the room and leaving, with thank you to Malcolm. However, for Levi that wasn’t the case, Malcolm had wanted Levi to stay back for a little bit to see if he was okay with everything. So, sure enough, it was just Malcolm and Levi in the clean and packed away music room.

“So Levi, how do you feel about your first ensemble with everyone,” he asked, Levi just gave a half-assed smile which Malcolm took graciously “So we meet here every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with everyone and I would have Tuesday lessons with you a couple of other people on Wednesdays,” he said then clearing his throat, “So we’d meet up to 3 times a week and.” Before he continued what he was saying he was interrupted by a knock.

“Sir, I forgot to ask for the copies of crimson bow,” a voice piped up from the doorframe.

“Ah Erwin yes I go get them now,” he said getting up from leaning against his desk “I’ll just be a tick.”

Then there were two. Erwin standing awkwardly in the room and Levi trying not to pay any attention to him. In a sense to try and soothe the tension in the room, Erwin tried to start a conversation by walking forward. His hands walking across the piano next to the door, desperately trying not to press any of the notes.

“Levi right?” He questioned, Levi, however, didn’t want to talk and just gave Erwin an uninterested grunt. “your house pin,” He said pointing to Levi’s chest. “I’m in that house too, guess I’ll see you more often,”

“How?” Levi questioned, and that for the first time Erwin heard Levi spoke, a cold voice.

Erwin became awkward and flustered and listed things with no real point or meaning. He was rambling for the sake of rambling, “You know, sports events, assemblies, in the common room,” it was obvious Erwin wasn’t ready for this. Luckily Malcolm came in and managed to save Erwin from an awkward death.

“See you two are getting along,” his loud and confident voice made Erwin jump, visibly showing distress. Both Levi and Malcolm chuckled at him “Jumpy as always, aren’t you Erwin?” Malcolm joked as he handed him the pieces. “Levi this is Erwin, our music director,” with the boys tried to smile at each other. He chuckled once more as he aligned all of the pieces from their ruffled up messy piles to neat clumps.

“Since Levi, you have raw talent and Erwin over there is our music director I thought it would be great for you two, to be desk partners,” he took a swig of water and spoke once more, “Up the front you two boys, right under my nose so I can watch my director and my new prodigy.”  
Erwin thanked Malcolm for the pieces and with one more awkward smile at Levi, he left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ensemble - times in which the orchestra comes together 
> 
> In future chapters, the music theory used in the chapter will be explained at the end of the chapter.


	3. THREE

Sun streamed down over the students. Hundreds of kids spread out between courtyards and fields. Some playing sports and others sitting and enjoying each other’s company. There were small fights over what was left in the cafe. Although Muri Cavi’s population was spread out across the school, Levi, however, was not part of the many groups sitting amongst the courtyards and the trees. 

You could hear the leaves rustling against each other, as the wind passed through around the edge of the courtyards. There were students playing basketball or other schoolyard games to entertain themselves during the 45-minute break from learning. A ball from a group of boys playing on the courtyard rolled off to the collection of trees around the cement. Luckily there was a group of students sitting around those trees, so the ball was thrown back with a smile. 

“I’m telling you its either chemistry or biology no in-between,” 

“No, its obviously physics and nothing else,” a heated argument was interrupted by the ball rolling toward the guys hip. Therefore giggles erupted from the girl he was fighting with. 

The group in question were split into sorts, we had the two fighting over sciences and one more girl talking off one more boy’s ear off about her favourite show’s season premiere that was airing that night. However, there was one more person with this group. He, however, was more distant. Leaning against the tree like the girl talking the other one’s ear off, but he wasn’t in the conversation but rather off in his head, giving murmurs of interest with minimal effort towards her comments. 

His disinterest and inability to focus back with the group didn’t have an explanation, he seemed off as if he wasn’t at school at all but off in his own fantasy. But he was brought back to the world when he saw the same cold-looking man with a miniature stature walk past and he didn’t know what came over him but he shouted his name. 

“Levi!” He yelled across the courtyard hoping it would catch his attention, maybe not his but it definitely caught his friends’ attention. 

“Erwin who?” He was questioned by about everyone in his group. He yelled at him once more, this time getting his attention with him mouthing what aggressively and confused. Erwin patted the spot next to him and nodded his head trying to get the idea of wanting him to join him. But he just got another confused what mouthed in his direction. So in a last resort he beckoned him over. Levi walked over even though it seemed by his movement that he was confused and didn’t want to be there at all. The black and white fitted uniform on him moving with as much emotion as he did. None.

“Yes?” He questioned half confused and half annoyed. He stood there with an attitude but that attitude was ripped out from underneath when he was pulled own by an over-excited girl. He now was sitting in-between Erwin and having three other people stare at him as if he was a shark in an aquarium. 

“Hi!” The overexcited girl who pulled him down said as she looked him up and down getting closer to properly examine him as you would as an aspiring scientist, “Erwin who’s this one?” She questioned looking back over at him, her messy ponytail bouncing with her movement. 

“I’m Levi,” he introduced himself, he didn’t need the blonde music director to introduce who he was for him. “And who are you?” He questioned her back with his usual cold voice. 

“I’m Hanji, a science student,” she said as excitedly as always with a smile across her face. “I’m assuming you’re a music student, how else would you know Erwin over there,” she joked kicking Erwin lightly with her extended leg from where she as sitting. “His entire life is music, I don’t know what he would be without music.” That made everyone in the group who was paying attention to giggle but for Erwin to look a little offended about the comment. “So Levi tell me more about yourself,” she practically commanded towards him. 

“Okay I’m here for music and I transferred here from Clandestino,” Levi said with a hint of being scared towards what she would do if he didn’t tell her. Hanji became ecstatic and started rambling on about things she had heard about where he was from and the school he had mentioned, which then sub-sequentially lead to her asking thousands and having to be stopped by a dusty blonde guy. 

“Okay I told you all my story, I want to hear yours,” the outlier in the group sitting amongst trees and the grass said breaking the muffled silence of the one shushing hanji of her questions. “I mean I kind of know your tale Erwin but do elaborate,” he continued the conversation he had sparked, grabbing Erwin’s attention at the sound of his name. Erwin pulled forward from his form against the tree and he sat himself up giving Levi his full attention. 

“Well like you, I'm here for music,” he said blatantly but with a slight smirk. His answer being about nothing but music made Levi’s mind relay back to Hanji’s comment.

“So, you really are all about music aren’t you?” Levi asked sarcastically and heard Erwin scoff at his comment. 

Soon Levi found all about the other students sitting around him, Erwin and the crazed science lady. New information brought to him to finding out that the one fighting with Hanji was actually a boy named Nick who was knee-deep into his human sciences studies and that he was the oldest. And that one other girl in the group was an English literature student and that one she was fighting with was a design student with a known trait for being stubborn and very tall. 

An exclamation made from the tall design student strained the silence out, “Nick, you’re still the odd man out, even with a transfer,” he said pointing out the pin sitting gracefully against the collar of his shirt. That made Levi look over to Nick’s and unlike the others sitting around them with navy blue and silver wings integrating with each other against their collars, he that of a smaller blank crest with a simple cross between it. 

Levi opened his mouth to speak but someone soon he learnt to be Petra cut him off, “We’re all in the house of flight but Nick over there is in the house of structure,” she said poking nick in his shoulder, “Forever the odd man out, this one,” she giggled at her comment. 

The more fuller group of friends that sat amongst the trees had spilt after the tone of the bell. The first 45 minutes of the class had been peaceful and calming until the time when music students hastily apologised for inconveniences and left the classroom, rushing over to their own respective music rooms. Levi in question was one of them, every Wednesday they left their classes sitting barely empty without the few music students who now wandered the halls in pursuit of their music lessons. 

The concrete floors of the halls were silent, the beautiful silence of education muffled by the footsteps that approached the music room.

“Ah Levi,” a voice spoke up, the footsteps beginning to drain out. “You ready?” His answer was met with a quaint nod as Levi turned to the door and knocked. The door handle jittered and was then pulled back.

“Boys, come in come in,” Malcolm ushered. “I only have 40 minutes with you anyway, don’t make it any less.” 

With that, the boys entered the room to find it was just the three of them. Meaning that the one other person they share this lesson with wasn’t here. Even though Erwin swears he saw him earlier today. 

“Right it’s just you two going forward, I moved Marcel in with the other group so I could focus more on you two,” he said as Levi and Erwin began to unload their stands and set up their music. “Oh yes boys, share a stand, Erwin has music with corrections already, at the end of the lesson you can copy them over to your copy Levi,” Malcolm said then pressing a few keys on the piano finding the A. “Alright boys tune yourselves.” 

Erwin walked over to the piano and played the A a couple times before placing his bow on the strong and playing his own A matching it to the sound the piano made seconds earlier. Once happy he did the same with his three other strings. D then G followed by E then just for fun all played quickly to ensure that they were to his liking. He offered the piano to Levi so he could tune but just stood there, tuning wasn’t his strong suit and without the tool telling him what to do, he was hopeless. 

“I can play the notes if you want so you can tune,” Levi nodded and placed the violin up on his shoulder and placed the bow on his A string. The happiness of A rang through the room, once, twice and then thrice. Levi followed suit his A sounded fine he couldn’t hear a difference but Erwin apparently could as he played the A again. So Levi’s fingers left the fingerboard and moved to the fine tuners and move it aimlessly and unknowingly.

“Turn it the other way, your string is flat its needs to be tighter,” Erwin said, Levi tried but the tuner wouldn’t budge the other way so Erwin stood up and did it for him. “Play the string” he reminded Levi. The tone of A shifted higher slowly and swiftly as Erwin turned the tuner to match his ear. “Okay go to D.”

Soon Malcolm took his seat at the piano, the scores for Daisy rain sitting comfortably against the cold surface of the piano. He listened patiently to Erwin tune Levi’s instrument, the content smile on his face waiting. He played a few chords and his fingers lingered around the E5 creating a soft melody with the surrounding keys.  
“Okay boys, were going to start with Daisy Rain, just a playthrough from the beginning,” he spoke as the boys placed the bow to the string. “Remember tone and vibrato on the minims if possible, this piece is gorgeous and made to focus on intonation and phrasing, it needs to be beautiful,” Malcolm turned back to the piano and started the piano introduction. With a soft 1,2,3, the boys started playing.

The piece started off simple enough a G sharp for 2 beats then a quick triplet followed by a slow syncopated F which led them into the next bar smoothly. Soon enough they reached the letter A, or the point that Levi begins to mess up. The cohesion between the two string began to slow. Erwin flowed through easily meeting each note at the correct point. Levi missed every few notes only being able to join back into cohesion with the slow tie on F. Finally at the tie to a triplet Levi began to lose his place, trying to bring himself back in was difficult. So he stopped and watched the music, enjoying the happy tone of Erwin’s instrument dance in his ears with the dramatic tone of Malcolm’s piano. 

“Okay, I heard you fall out around bar 19 Levi,” Malcolm said turning around on the piano seat. “But, that's alright you’ve only just gotten that piece,” he said changing the music against the piano. “Just work on the passage from letter A,” he said Crimson Bow now sitting against the piano. “I wanna go through this one and then we should be done for this week,” he said. And so bows were brought back up to the string and a gorgeous whole tone echoed and bounced off the walls of the room. 

But soon enough the plethora of notes came to a halt with the monotonous chime of the bell. “Ah the bell, always ruining things,” Malcolm said standing and collecting his music. Both boys managed an polite chuckle as they began to pack up themselves. “Oh Levi, maybe you and Erwin should practise the pieces during study hall,” he said as he closed the lid of the piano and picked up his bag from against it, “I trust you can close the door and turn the lights off, I have a meeting to get to,” He said with a smile a left the room swiftly afterwards. 

“Did you want to try the study hall thing tomorrow?” Erwin asked as he handed over his folder to Levi, Levi took the folder questioningly “So you can copy the notes over,” Levi nodded feeling foolish. He opened the folder, of course, it was fitting to Erwin’s character the folder was perfectly organised and neat. Meaning that Levi found the pieces easily, definitely easier than when he ruffled through the mounds of paper from his binder. A four-year-old binder, the one he got when he first entered secondary school, it’s now tattered but still loved and especially hard to navigate. 

“I’d expect you to get your folder in a couple of weeks,” Erwin said as he put the stand on the rack. “I’m going to wheel this to the music room, I’ll be back in a sec,” and Erwin pushed the weighted stand rack out of the room and down the hallway. 

Levi took a moment to admire in both confusion and wonder, the penmanship and marking within Erwin’s music. Some of it didn’t even make sense. Arrows pointing in diagonals, lines scribbled under notes, incoherent letter scramble in margins and the circling of random notes. It all was a mess, but for Erwin it was a mess that made him sound beautiful. 

“You finished copying?” The voice from the door frame spoke. Soon it followed itself into the room, and picked up the jet black violin case. 

“Uh yea,” Levi said looking up at Erwin as he closed the folder and handed it up to him. Erwin took it with a smile. 

“Tomorrow in here for study hall?” Erwin questioned as they both walked towards the door. 

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> intonation - whether or not the note is in the correct tone   
> c natural - a note which is lower the standard c played with the usual finger pattern on the violin, which means the position of the fingers has to change and many people forget to do so.   
> flat - low sounds, sounds dull and uninviting, tightening the string makes it sharper  
> tone - very important, it gives the music the full feeling  
> phrasing - the speed and timing of each bar   
> bar - section or measure in the music


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin and Levi begin their private music lesson with each other

Thursdays, in most people’s opinions, is one of the most awkward days of the week, too far from the beginning of the week but not close enough to the weekend, annoying in the middle. Most year 11 students found Thursday being one of their most boring days. Class, class then 2 sessions of studying followed by senior year preparation class, essentially a worthless day. This Thursday in specific the student population was facing the nips and bites of the cold early winter air. 

“How was your afternoon?” was politely asked under the trees by the girl with dirty blonde hair.

“It was nothing special,” replied the boy sitting across from her, “Just did my chemistry homework.” His final reply was met with just a silent hum as both heads moved towards the students walking across the courtyard in front of the trees. 

“What do you think of the Levi?”

“Who?”

“The guy that came over before, the one Hanji like harassed,” she said.

“Oh,” he replied, once he remembered who the guy was, “He’s okay I guess, kinda cold,” she hummed in agreement. “But Erwins seems to like him.” 

After the minor conversation, they went back to their fiddly silence, which was smashed to bits by the shriek of a voice from across the courtyard. 

“Ah, Hanji and Mike are here,” The boy said looking up in the direction of the shriek. When the girl looked up to see, she saw Hanji lightly jogging in the direction with Mike dragging behind her in a mix of embarrassment and bewilderment. 

“Petra, Nick!” Hanji said as she reached the grass border of the courtyard. “How are you both?” She said as she sat down, Mike opted to stay standing as he looked around for Erwin, the one missing person to their friend group. After the small conversations between the other three began to die down the four was just sitting with each other. Many on their phones, with every now and then they looked up to see if anyone was coming towards them.

However the hope of Erwin arriving simmered down as the bell began to ring out, which lead to the four of them dissipating, with minimal goodbyes they all walked away from each other, except for Hanji and Nick who both have their first class together, English. A relatively boring class, especially without Erwin. The three of them sat in the back of the class, not really paying attention to the spew of words coming out of their teacher’s mouth, but still paying enough attention to scrape out of the class with a B. 

“Guess it’s just us two this lesson,” Nick said to Hanji as they walked to their class. “Or maybe not?” He questioned himself as the view of the classroom became more clear and standing at the door, book and pencil case in hand was the devil himself. Erwin.

“Look who decided to come today,” Hanji said sarcastically.

“Sorry I wasn’t there, I woke up late,” Erwin said sheepishly whilst the other two began to take their stuff out. His awkward laugh was drowned out by the bell ringing through once more, the teacher standing at the door welcoming the students into the classroom. They all piled in one by one finding their own seats. Erwin, Hanji and Nick floated to the back of the classroom where they took their seats hoping to drift out of their English teacher’s mind.

And so the lesson commenced, talk of the Great Gatsby, grammar and the subliminal messaging used within it. The class felt like forever to Erwin, information and conversations had in the class when in through one ear and then out through the other. He was numb in that class. Unlike the other characters in the class, the three absent-mildly sat in the back of the class were the three who couldn’t care about the subject but paid just enough attention for him to scare out with his acceptable grades. The three were sat there huddled in the group of desk they had created. Hanji taking notes slowly, Nick resting on his hand drifting in and out of a daze. And Erwin’s head laying on his desk, comfortably against his open notebook, he’d just steal the notes from Hanji later. 

“Nick, just a heads up,” he said randomly during the absence sound. His comment brought both him and Nick back into reality.

“Yea?” 

“I won’t be joining you for study hall today,” he said as his head lost its friendship from the surface of the desk. He sat up properly and gained his focus back to the board “I have a rehearsal.” 

Nick although bummed out that he’d have to sit through 2 hours without Erwin, he’d at least be able to get some work done instead of goofing off with him. That is what Hanji told them as she shifted her note between the two of them, allowing them to copy. 

To Erwin’s enjoyment English ended, which meant that he now had 20 minutes before his next class. So he walked back to the trees with the other two. They walked quietly minor conversations sprouting between them, but nothing all that interesting. Looking forward at the courtyard the three saw their friends already sitting there, chatting happily. Glad to be out of class. Not everyone was there though Erwin noted. Mike the overall tall and a ‘bit-out-there’ character was absent from the group.

"Is Mike not here today?” He asked.  
"What no he was here this morning remember,” Hanji said quickly until she realised who asked the question “Oh you weren’t here this morning, but yea he was here.” She clarified.  
“Why is he not there now?” Nick asked looking at the Petra sitting lonesome under the trees.

“Probably got held back,” Erwin said as the sped up towards Petra, “Knowing him and everything,” the other two agreed. 

Once at the trees the three sat down, talking with Petra. About there previous class and what they had next. All four of them being year 11 meant that they had one more session before they were to sit aimlessly and stare at a maths textbook unless of course you actually studied in those sessions. Most just goofed off with each other and went on their phones when they were out of the teacher’s sight. 

“There he is,” Hanji said happily, “The man, the myth and the..” She paused seeing if someone would finish for her. 

“Constantly getting detention because he likes to talk back,” Erwin finished for her, resulting in a unanimous chuckle and a high five between the two comics. “What was it this time?”  
“I had maths okay,” Mike said protestingly as he sat down, even though the bell was sure to go at any second, “You all know Miss hates me.”

“Yeah its because you talk in her class,” Nick countered “She hates people talking in her class, one of those I must have silence folks.” He said memories of having her for maths the year before flowing back.

The teacher in question is essentially the definition of the word picky. She hates people talking but gets annoyed when no one participates or ask questions, has to have a specific seating plan for every class, even if there is a substitute teacher, she will let them know about the seating plan. In all honesty nobody in the school like her. 

“Oh, Erwin what was the name of that music guy that came over yesterday?” Mike asked. 

“Levi,” he replied, “Why?”

“Oh he’s in my maths class and Miss yelled at him because he yawned in her class,” he said most of the group replied with an ‘okay’ “but the thing is he talked back to her, and then I laughed at her reaction and got held back, but it’s not as bad as what he got, he's got detention, with her!” He said finishing quickly as the bell rang out. They all stood back up, said goodbye and began their journeys to their next class. 

Music theory grade four. That was Erwin’s next class, which also happened to be on level 3 in the performing arts district. Which unfortunately for him meant stairs and lots of them. This bloody school had more stairs than students. Escalators would be so much better. But still, he made his way up to the room. None of his friends are in this class with him, obviously, none of them is music students like he is. Erwin was in the class with the seniors who take the grade above them in music theory and practical examinations, grade four. This class was relatively boring. They were no longer being taught things just each individually preparing for their exams which fell in late November. Giving them three months to prepare the best they could.  
He entered the class, greeted the teacher looking after them and sat down next to the window and pulled out his notebook and worksheets. The sheets their teacher gave them were very similar to the exam they would soon take. Grade four theory meant, exploring single and compound time signatures as well as duple, triple and quadruple time signatures. Looking at the alto clef and transcribing into treble and bass, enharmonic equivalents, scales and key signatures, identification of triads and root positions and overall a lot of work and with that amount of work came a huge amount of effort. Each student who sat in that classroom all put in the huge amount of effort they needed to. 

The questions always started out easy, for example, what does the word presto mean or tempo giusto in relation to a piece of music written out above the questions. The proceeded to get harder afterwards, things that they needed to know beforehand like what other key has the same key signature as D flat major? B flat minor. And so Erwin sat through the hour-long lesson answering each of the questions the best he could without looking back to his notebook. The worksheet only had 7 question alike the exam but the students had 2 hours to complete the exam. One question asked him to write of C sharp minor key signature and then one octave in its ascending harmonic minor scale, it was questions like these that make him wonder why he chose music because music theory is the calculus equivalent of music. After a while of slowly walking through his worksheet, trying his best the bell rang loudly and annoyingly but it meant he was now able to leave the music theory class and wander off to his friends.

After walking back down the flights of stairs and across the school to get to his form class and then sitting in it not paying attention and the teacher read out the school notices and the roster with monotony. He was just itching to get outside and with his friends again since his last class drained him of all dopamine and serotonin in his body, but rather filled him with curiosity as to why the school’s new prodigy wasn’t in attendance, but his name wasn’t called on the roster which means one of two things. Either he’s away or not in that class and either scenario wouldn’t leave poor Erwin’s head. 

“Okay so I’ll see you in prep class,” Erwin said as he and he friends stood up and grabbed their belongings.

“Why?” Petra asked confused and she strung her back over her shoulder. 

“He has a music thing,” Nick cleared up, walking backwards so he could still talk to the group, Mike walking the correct way behind him. 

“Oh,” she sighed “Okay have fun,’ she said with a smile as she and Hanji joined the to boys in the direction of the library. Leaving Erwin alone to wander back up the flights of stairs he went up not long before, towards the music storeroom. 

The volume of students running to classes, or walking aimlessly getting as much time out of class as possible, died down as Erwin unlocked the storeroom. The heavy steel door crashed against the wall, luckily no instrument was laid behind it, he walked in searching the shelves for where he placed his violin the day before. He had just left here overnight, much to his own distress, he just wasn’t in the mood to carry it around all day. Soon he found it, the jet back glossy case tucked away in one of the higher shelves. Pulling it down slowly is when he noticed the case that seemed very out of place, an oddly shaped matte grey case leant against the wall. It must be his. And so he left the storeroom door open just a smidge as the teachers do in the morning. 

The practise room was dark, but the light above his head had a subtle amber glow like it had been turned off not long ago. He turned it back on the simplistic shine growing into a bright white glare. Such if you stared too long you find splotches of dense colour covering your eyesight, like looking into the sun. Luckily there were stands already in the room, no one like carrying stands, they clang and are loud. Against the back wall of the room was the black piano, the lid open, whoever had this room last didn’t clean up after themselves properly, Erwin thought. He found the A on the piano and subconsciously began to play simple melodies. He wasn’t a piano kid growing up. Never forced into music, it was just something he wanted to do, found it fascinating. Leaving the piano, he bent down gently swinging his case off of his shoulder and placing down next to the piano, he’d just move the case later. Opening it, pulling out the wooden instrument plucking the string lightly, adjust them to where the needed to be. He had recently removed his first fine tuner, now only having three, meaning if his G string was off he’d have to use the peg - terrifying. 

Now Erwin sat on the stool in front of the piano a tuned instrument upon his shoulder an open folder with sheets of music holding hands inside of it, his violin case now against the wall and a powerful sound coming from the calm and loose strokes against the strings. For the classes around the music room, it was peaceful, the lower grades diverting their attention from the board to the sounds floating through their open doors. The tune ended on the wrong note and a muttered swear followed by a frustrated pencil hacking away at the paper it’s writing on.  
“Um hi,” Erwin looked up over the stand and saw the same odd-shaped grey case no longer leaning against the door but clenched in the hand of a boy with a sheepish and somewhat apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, I’m late I had a..” 

“Detention?” Erwin answered for him. 

“Uh, yeah.” The conversation ended there. Levi walked in closing the door behind him as quietly as he could and setting down his case almost directly opposite to Erwin’s. “How’d you know?” 

“Just a lucky guess,” Erwin said then realising what that sounded like “Not saying you’re a trouble maker who else would be 10 minutes late to a study hall lesson.” He finished awkwardly and quickly. 

Levi pulled his instrument up to his shoulder, but Erwins was now resting against his arm he was lazily holding it. Putting the bow in his other hand, it now also hanging lazily within his fingertips, he raised the stand higher to Levi’s eye level and walked back over and sat down on the piano stool, violin still swaying at his arm. 

“Do you have your music?” Erwin asked the blank stand looking at Levi. Silently he turned and got out a messy folder, placed it on the floor and took his time to find the piece he needed. They were lost amongst his others. “Wow, that's a mess,” Erwin said crouching down to look at it. “How’d do you find anything?”

“Badly,” He replied standing up again the papers crumpled in his hand. Smoothing them out and placing them on the stand. 

“Pencil?” 

“Right,” crouching back down he opened the folder and pulled out the same pencil he was given two days prior and placed it at the bottom of the stand. Erwin still crouched picked up his folder stood up and placed it on the stool and walked over to his case and placed his violin gently into the case. He sat on the stool the folder now in his lap. “Ready?”

Levi didn’t know how this was going to work, was he going to play and Erwin would just tell him when he’s wrong. There was an awkward tension humming around the both of them. He placed the bow on the string and played a faint A, nerves getting the best of him. His bow moved unbalanced and wonky, the A was off. Erwin moved towards him the open folder on the stool starting to organise itself after Erwin’s touch. He corrected the bow’s position and told him to move. The A soon opened up to the beautiful tone it needed, other strings following suit. Erwin’s ear was magic, no reference, no piano and no fine tuners par for E and he still managed to make the instrument sound beautiful. 

Sitting back down he looked at him, the awkward hum elevating to an awkward silent scream. “Play a scale,” he said, “Any scale, it's a good warm-up.” Levi looked confused he didn’t know which to play, not to mention he hated playing them. 

“Do I have to?” he said finding the piece he was struggling with, “Why can’t I just learn that bar?” 

“You need a fair warm-up,” he said hands moving and joy in his eyes. Music really was his life, “Work yourself up to that phrase.” 

So the bow was placed on the string and a fast, over powerful double octave g major scale. Erwin started clapping a slower pace. 

1, 2, 3, 4, and 1, 2, 3, 4. The slow clap drowned out the awkward silent scream. “Try it at this speed.” And so the scale was played again sounding nicer less fast rushed and confused and more pretty. “The C on the A is a natural not a sharp, it’s a major scale.” He said standing up and walking next to him. “Move your finger back,” and he did and then played it again “More,” he shuffled his second finger back and played again but this time Erwin’s hand raised towards the scroll and moved his finger himself. It was a gentle and calm touch not overpowering as other teachers would. “Now play,” the note sounded happy again the tone ringing out in both of their ears. “Play the scale again and remember where to put that finger,” it played again and the note was better but not perfect. “Better,” he said walking back over to the stool. “Do you know the arpeggio for it?” He nodded. 

If you looked through the window of the music room you’d see a tense boy with dark hair playing for the gentle blond boy organising the other’s folder. To a music teacher, it was beautiful.  
After minutes of awkward scale and arpeggio playing, Levi’s folder was placed on the ground next to the stool Erwin sat on. They had gone through 3 different scales, the g major from before, a c minor scale, and then a c minor harmonic scale. That scale brought out the insecurities with intonation. It just wouldn’t wrap around his head that the B flat was a B natural and naturally it slowly began to annoy Erwin. 

“We’re not moving onto the piece until you get the arpeggio right,” He said walking over to the board where he began to write out the scale. C, D E flat, F, G B natural. An upward arrow above the B. “Its the harmonic version of the scale which makes the B flat a?" He asked.  
“A natural,” he replied. 

“Wonderful, now play the B,’ he said walking closer to him. The note was played not perfect but not as bad as it had been. So Erwin like all the other times raised his finger and shifted his finger back, but his finger left Levi’s and moved to his thumb against the fingerboard. “If you move your thumb further toward you it makes it less of a stretch to get the right notes,” he said as he walked back to the piano’s stool. 

Levi played through the scale with speed, correct bowing, slurs and confidence followed by a strong, whole toned arpeggio to which left Erwin overjoyed and then gave Levi the sweet release of being able to work on the piece. It was then that Erwin went back over to his instrument laying in his violin case, picking it up on his shoulder and grabbing the bow. He stood next to Levi at the stand, he had to raise the stand so he wasn’t hunched. 

“Can you still see?” It was with this question that made Levi realise how tall Erwin actually was. The lean tall blond year 11 student looking at his patience in his eyes and his bow tucked in his left hand with his right wrapped around the leg of the stand waiting to be pulled down or left alone. 

“I can see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enharmonic equivalents - note, interval or time signature equivalent to another note but called something different  
> Time signature - how many beats are in a bar  
> Duple, triple and quadruple - how many time signatures there are in the piece  
> Alto clef - clef in-between treble and bass with the ‘middle’ c falls on the 3rd line - in the middle  
> Fine tuners - small screws sitting on the tailpiece of the violin that helps adjust the tune  
> Pegs - located above the fingerboard but below the scroll, adjust the tightness of a string - thus its pitch

**Author's Note:**

> Clandestino - underground  
> Muri Cavi - hollow walls


End file.
